The modern law of damages

racial justice essays

racial justice essays The 1960s and the fight for racial justice The chapter The Fight for Racial Justice spoke of the rising voice against discrimination. In particular legalized segregation in the South. In the Deep South there was persistent economic inequality. Most blacks worked for white landowners who paid them very little. There was also inequality in education and blacks were routinely kept from the voting booth by the use of fear and intimidation. Segregation was rampant-white and colored signs were on water fountains, restrooms, and sections of theaters. Although a lot of this segregation and discrimination occurred in the South, it wasnt confined there by any means. The challenge to segregation in schools came to the courts in the famed case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. It challenged the previous court ruling, Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld the separate but equal standard in public education. In 1954 Brown overruled Plessy and the notion of separate but equal was discredited as being separate but not equal. The court ruled that segregation was wrong but left it up to local officials to decide how to eliminate it. A struggled began over desegregation. Some localities had more problems than others. In the South, in particular, problems were intensified by years of local traditions and prejudices. Many districts chose to ignore the Supreme Court ruling altogether. In Little Rock, Arkansas the Governor deployed the National Guard to prevent the students from entering Central High School. Eventually the President sent the 101st Airborne Division to restore order and allow the African Americans to enter the school. Desegregation would be an issue for a long time to come but it wasnt the only issue facing Americans in the battle for racial justice. In December 1955 in Montgomery Alabama, Rosa parks refused to give up her bus seat for a white passen...

Project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Project management - Essay Example As recommended by literature (Field and Keller 2007, p.198), the forward pass mode has been used for calculating the ETS for each of the activities. The mode is based on the assumption that all previous activities have been finalised. The following equation has been used in calculating its values: ETSj  = max (ETSi  + Ti  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ i - when an activity is linked to j on an arc from i to j). The values of ETS for each of the activities are provided in a Table 1. Early Finish Time (EFT) is calculated by adding the duration time of each activity to its ETS. The Late Start Time (LTS) is calculated through the use of backward pass mode. It is based on the assumption that the latest time the last event can occur is equal to the last event ETS. The following equation has been used in calculating its values: LTSi  = MIN (LTSj  - Ti  -j is an activity linked to i on the path from i to j). The values of LTS for each of the activities are provided in a Table 1. Float The total float in the scheduling provides information on the accepted event delay that will not result in total delay of the whole project (Field and Keller 2007, PMI 2008). It is the difference between the LTS and ETS of each project activity, i.e. Fi = LTSi–ETSi 3. The project duration and the critical path. The minimum required time for the completion of the project is 80 days. A final step in designing the network is the identification of the critical path. A critical path is made out of the critical activities of the project. An activity is assessed as critical when if delayed, will cause a delay of the whole project duration by an equal amount of time (Field and Keller 2007:183, PMI 2008). For a critical activity: The ETS and the LTS of the activity must be equal at the each node; The Float must be equal to 0; Table 1. Task Name Duration Pred. Early Start Early Finish Late Start Late Finish Float Critical path A 4 - 0 4 0 4 0 yes B 4 A 4 8 4 8 0 yes C 2 A 4 6 14 16 10 no D 6 A 4 10 10 16 6 no E 5 A 4 9 11 16 7 no F 8 B 8 16 8 16 0 yes G 10 C,D,E,F 16 26 16 26 0 yes H 7 G 26 33 26 33 0 yes I 6 H 33 39 33 39 0 yes J 5 H 33 38 34 39 1 no K 7 I,J 39 46 39 46 0 yes L 14 K 46 60 46 60 0 yes M 8 L 60 68 60 68 0 yes N 2 M 68 70 68 70 0 yes O 2 N 70 72 76 78 6 no P 8 N 70 78 70 78 0 yes Q 2 O,P 78 80 78 80 0 yes 1. Different Project Scenarios If the project starts on Monday 21st, May, 2011, what is the earliest date it can be completed using a 5 day working week? For calculating the schedule and the earliest date the project can be completed, the project management tool - Gant chart is used, presented in Appendix 2. The calculation is as follows: the total duration project of the (80) is divided with 5 (working days in the week) = 16 weeks. The earliest date is for completion of the project is Friday, September 2nd, 2011. If the following happened what would be the effect on the duration of the whole project? Explain the reasons. a. A two day delay in activity

Final Global business Plan Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Global business Plan Paper - Essay Example Keeping in mind the governmental limitations on foreign investments, the external governance and its impact on the Starbucks India will be a major factor for its success or downfall. Since sole proprietorships and partnerships are essentially impossible under the Indian law, locally incorporated company is the answer to many limitations put by the government. Certainly, good corporate governance is the solution-key for above stated questions. In the case of Starbucks India, proper corporate governance has to be the identification and correction of inefficiencies in its running. In pursuing this objective, Starbucks' top level management can not rely on their own internal mechanisms, but they need to look for external instruments such as the market for corporate control. In this regard, external governance becomes very important to be looked at since the role of controls by the external stakeholders over the organization can compound for its overall success in India. For Starbucks India, external governance can play its healthy role in the forms of debt covenants, external au

Managing Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Change - Research Paper Example This is because different employees in an organization have different perspectives and standpoints regarding the best change management strategy. They all believe their own recommendations to be the best possible strategy for the organization (Kotter, 2007). Therefore, choosing the best strategy from all the alternatives suggested can be a very difficult job. Moreover, applying change management processes in culturally diverse background become even tougher considering the fact that the acceptance, tolerance and response to change management strategies vary across different cultures (Dionne, et al., 2002). That is why managers need to have the ability to enforce change and at the same time make sure that the cultural integrity at their organization is sustained. Furthermore, change management is also required while companies consider expanding their business into unfamiliar territories (Todnem and Burnes, 2011). This is where managers have to be extremely adaptive when enforcing any form of change. Successful execution of change management strategies ensures organizational success and it requires managers to be highly aware of their operational environment (Hendry and Pettigrew, 2008). It is with regards to this fact that the researcher will attempt to understand the change management process in Burger King. The fundamental purpose of this study is to see how managers of Burger King have expanded the world’s second largest burger food service retail into the Gulf Region. The study will be conducted on the basis of two perspectives of change management which are the cultural approach to change management and the adaptation versus standardization strategy related to change management. An analysis of such scale will allow the researcher to gauge the importance of change management in the contemporary business environment. The researcher will also be evaluating the success achieved by Burger King after expanding into the Gulf Region through the change

Information Systems Management Pepsico Inc

Information Systems Management Pepsico Inc There are hardly a few people in the world who are unfamiliar with the word Pepsi. Words such as cola or soda have almost become synonymous with it. Pepsi is arguably the most famous soft-drink consumed by billions all over the world. And the company responsible behind this success is one of the world market giants; PEPSICO, Inc. According to Andreas Penzkofer (2007), the company came into existence in 1965, when the Pepsi-cola company acquired the snack food company called Frito-Lay. The company has started to expand itself overseas since the nineties. Pepsico Incorporated is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation. Its headquarters are based in Purchase, New York. It is a company which has marketing and manufacturing interests in a wide variety of products ranging from carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, salty, sweet and cereal based snacks, juices etcetera. Some of the major brands owned by the company are   Quaker Oats,  Gatorade,  Frito-Lay,  Tropicana,  Copella,  Mountain Dew, and  7 Up. According to Lawrence Dietz (1973), the perspective of the company is to increase the value of the share-holders investment. The company plans to do this by achieving growth in sales, controlling the costs and intelligent investment of resources. The company believes that their commercial success is dependent upon offering good quality and value to their consumers and customers, making available products that are safe, wholesome, and economically efficient while providing fair returns on investments to their investors by maintaining high levels of integrity. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CULTURE Pepsico operates in all the six major continents of the world namely Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, South America and Europe. Their operations are further broken down amongst countries in these continents. The inter-organisation structure of the company has many sub-divisions. Their products are produced and bottled at the manufacturing plant, delivered to the suppliers by the distributors, the suppliers sell it to the retailers and finally to the consumers. These supply-chains in different countries are controlled by one main headquarter. According to Andreas Penzkofer (2007), the aim of the company is to manage supply ingredients and maintain purified water supply to ensure quality and availability to produce the products. Ensure availability of the best technology and quick storage and inventory processes to maintain freshness and quality. Determine the demand by past sales and future marketing. Also ensure proper packaging, maintain quick local distribution and meet any new demands or competition with products and consumer needs. Andreas Penzkofer (2007), also states that the companys mission is to become the worlds best consumer products company. Its aim is to improve on the financial returns to the investors as it provides opportunities of growth and development to its employees. It is also concerned about preserving the environment and has designed a separate set of goals especially in its favour. This can be observed from the replacement of can holders with plastic ring connectors which snap when the cans are removed; thereby reducing the risk of entanglement for wildlife. Pepsico also aims at diversifying its workforce so as to have a better understanding of different cultures. This has led the company to win many awards as well as being ranked at the 9th position by the fortune magazine as being the best company for minorities. MARKET SHARE According to Lawrence Dietz (1973), Pepsico, Inc. is one of the leading consumer product companies in the world having many of the worlds most important and valuable trademarks. It is the second largest soft-drink business having a 21 percent share of the carbonated soft-drink market in the world and 29 percent in the United States. Three of its major soft-drink brands Pepsi-cola, Mountain Dew and Diet Pepsi are amongst the top-ten soft-drinks in the U.S. market. The company has also spread itself substantially in the world snacks market by introducing a company division known as Frito-Lay. It has a 40 percent world market share in salty snacks and 56 percent in the United States. It is nine times the size of its closest competitor in the U.S. and sells nine of the top-ten snack chip brands in the supermarket channel some of which include lays, Doritos, ruffles and Chee-tos. Frito-Lay is responsible for generating more than 60 percent of Pepsicos net-sales and more than two-thirds of the parent companys operating profits. The company also has a third division called Tropicana Products, Inc., which is the world leader in juice sales and occupies a strong 41 percent of the U.S. chilled orange juice market. On a global scale, Pepsico owns 16 brands that generate more than 500 million dollars in sales each year, ten of which are responsible for generating more than 1 billion dollars annually. Pepsico acquires around 35 percent of its retail sales outside the United States, with Pepsi-cola brands marketed in about 160 countries, Frito-Lay brands marketed in more than 40 and Tropicana brands in around 50 countries. BUSINESS MODEL According to Richard Goodman (2009), Pepsico has managed to device a successful business model which stresses importance on three key factors. Structural and operational advantages, successfully pilot the company through uncertain times and making strategic investments for future growth. Pepsico aims at meeting challenges and investing for the future by providing value to customers and consumers, having an excellent market strategy, investing in research and development and innovation. By achieving these factors, the company will be able to retain customers. The company also aims at effectively managing price gaps, bringing in global advances in beverage pack sizes, activating the consumer by holding contests, working out capital benefits for the customers as well as the consumers, control prices of products around the world market, appealing to local tastes, adapting to local customs thereby achieving healthy and consistent performance. GLOBAL VISIBILITY The global visibility of Pepsico can be observed from the sheer number of countries its products are consumed in. From the market share section above, it can be seen that Pepsi-cola brands are marketed in 160 countries, Frito-Lay brands marketed in more than 40 and Tropicana brands in around 50 countries. Although Pepsico is an American Multinational corporation, India and Europe are of two of its biggest markets outside of the United States. BUSINESS ALLIANCES Pepsico has formed partnerships with many products it does not own but in order to distribute and market them with its own products. Some of these products include, Starbucks iced coffee, Lipton original iced tea, Ben and Jerrys milkshake etcetera. Also some of Pepsicos business alliances include Pepsico Quaker Chewy teaming up with Afterschool Alliance and Miranda Cosgrove to Call Attention to the Importance of Afterschool Programs, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages and Ocean Spray Strategic Alliance to Include Additional Juice and Juice Drinks, Oxford Health  Alliance  and PepsiCo Foundation implemented Community Interventions etcetera. (Source: www.pepsico.com, date taken: 08/08/2010) COMPETITIOR ANALYSIS DIRECT COMPETITIORS The Coca-Cola Company As we all know, Coca-cola or Coke as it is popularly known, and Pepsi have been competing with each other since the longest possible times. Even as kids, we used to have advertisements on television showing us to choose one over the other. As the years pass by and as the companies seem to expand themselves more and more, their rivalry to attain market dominance seems to grow further more. According to Pat Watters (1978), the Coca-Cola Company is basically a non-alcoholic beverage producing company. It is also responsible for manufacturing, marketing and distributing concentrates and syrups which are used to produce these beverages. The Coca-Cola Company has their beverages sold in more than 200 countries worldwide. Their headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia. The company owns more than 500 brands of non-alcoholic beverages which primarily include sparkling beverages. But they also manufacture still beverages like enhanced waters, juices and juice drinks, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, and energy and sports drinks. Royal Crown Company, Inc The Royal-Crown Company, Inc is a 50 billion dollar company which manufactures and sells concentrates that are used in the production of soft-drinks. These soft-drinks are then sold locally and internationally to independent licensed bottlers. RC cola is the companys leading brand and is ranked as the third largest cola brands after Pepsi and Coke. Some of the other brands which the company owns are Diet RC Cola, Diet Rite Cola, Lockjaw, Upper 10 and kick. (Source: www.rccola.com, Date accessed: 09/08/2010) COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS GRID SWOT Analysis for PepsiCo: SWOT Analysis signifies the evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats possessed and faced by a particular company, organization or institution. According to Pahl, Richter (2009), SWOT Analysis is beneficial and a crucial tool for decision-making and figuring dependencies between a company and its environment since subjective opinions are replaced by proactive and constructive thinking. The SWOT Analysis for PepsiCo is as follows: 3.1. Strengths: PepsiCo has a strong brand reputation in the global market due to its presence of over 120 years. It has had a significantly increasing market share over the years due to the launch of new products like Pepsi Max and other ideas. (Bachmeier, 2009) Its place has been determined and positioned strongly with regard to profits, sales and customer loyalty due to its creativity and effectiveness. PepsiCo boasts of a strong product line with a variety and diverse range of products. It faces no cash deficit and hence has huge advertising budgets to strengthen its market position. 3.2. Weaknesses: PepsiCo depends largely on the US market for its revenues. According to Plunkett (2009), around 29% of PepsiCos total net revenue is derived only from PepsiCo Beverages North America and its total market revenue dependent on US alone exceeds 50%. This may prove to be detrimental in the constantly changing economic conditions. Some of the PepsiCo products lack uniformity in their brand names. Experts have cited health hazards in the consumption of PepsiCo products due to high fat and sugar contents. The image of PepsiCo has been at stake due to incidents like the exploding of Pepsi cans in 2007 followed by salmonella contamination in Pepsicos product Aunt Jemima pancake and waffle mix. (Clark, 2008) 3.3. Opportunities: PepsiCo has been working to broaden its product base substantially. In 2005, it bought General Mills stake of the largest European snack food firm Snack Ventures Europe. In addition, PepsiCo acquired the German juice maker Punica Getraenke. (Penzkofer, 2007) PepsiCo operates through its four subsidiaries PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA), PepsiCo International (PI), Quaker Foods North America (QFNA) and Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) in almost 200 countries. (Penzkofer, 2007) With 153,000 employees, the company had total net revenue of $ 29,261 million in 2005 and was ranked at place 62 of the Fortune 500 Ranking of the largest companies in the United States. (Norton, Porter, 2010) PepsiCo has gradually been developing noncarbonated drinks and healthy products, attracting more customers. 3.4. Threats: PepsiCo faces considerable threats due to strong competitors like The Coca-Cola Company, Nestle, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group etcetera. Incidents like those of contaminations and pesticide residues found in PepsiCo products have caused substantial brand damage to the company, especially in large emerging markets like India. PepsiCo has been in a vulnerable position in the recent past due to labour problems. To illustrate, there was a month long strike at Frito-Lay India, a part of PepsiCo India Holdings Limited, beginning in August 2008 due to a dispute between the workers union and the company management. (Source: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/strike-at-pepsis-channo-plant-ends/363190/ , Date accessed: 12.08.2010) Stagnancy acts as a threat for the company since the food and beverages industry has reached its maturity and there are hardly any avenues that remain unexplored. PROPOSED BUSINESS, INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE Business Strategy For future growth opportunities and profits, PepsiCo should try to carry out their business by introducing healthier products in the market. The company can achieve this by Reducing the calories in the food products so that the consumption can be a healthy one. The company can manipulate the market to control what people are eating and drinking. Healthy options should be made available to all The company should undergo a change from inside and transform their reputation as a manufacturer of healthy products which essentially gives nutritional value. In the years to come, the company should engage its business in providing fruits, vegetables and grains. The company as a whole should respond to the changing consumer needs. Using the latest science and encouraging positive nutrition is the need of the hour as the masses become health conscious day by day. The company needs to be reformulating itself and become innovative by making use of the next generation technology. The company can further merge itself with healthier brands of products. (Source: www.Pepsico.com, Date accessed: 10/08/2010) Information Systems and Information Technology Strategy Buckingham et al. (1987), defines an information system to be a system that can assemble, store, process and deliver information relevant to an organisation. This is done in a way that the information is available and useful to anyone who wants to use it, including managers, staff, clients and citizens. An information system is a human activity system which may or may not involve the use of computer systems. A good information system strategy according to Guy Fitzgerald (2002), for a huge consumer food products and beverages company like PepsiCo to carry out its business for future growth and profits would be: To precisely document the requirements necessary for a good information system: Here, the users should be able to specify their system requirements or the system developers should be able to investigate and analyse user requirements so that the information system will meet the needs of the users. Efficiently monitor the progress by providing an orderly method of development: For a huge company like PepsiCo, controlling its large-scale projects is not easy. If the projects fail to meet the deadline, they can have serious cost and other repercussions for the company. Providing check-points and specific stages should make sure that the project planning procedures are applied effectively. Provision for the companys information system should have a suitable time limit and an acceptable cost. The documentation of the system should be properly preserved and also the system should be easy to maintain: This is extremely important as in a company like Pepsico, modifications to the information systems is inevitable due to the amount of changes taking place in the company and its environment. The system should be able to make the best use of the techniques and tools that are already available. The system should be liked by the people who are affected with the system such as the company stakeholders. The stake holders of the company may include clients, managers, auditors and users. If the system is liked by them, it is most likely to be used and bring success to the company. A successful information system should also make effective use of information technology by using the available tools and techniques. An effective use of information technology would involve: All staff having standard desktop tools. They should have access to email, Internet and Intranet. IT infrastructure should be continuously upgraded as allowed by the companys resources and budget. Systems and networks at the companys head-quarters and in the field should be standardised and centrally managed. A centralised team should provide IT assistance to staff and a wide range of IT training. The company should make use ERP systems at the head-quarters. For information and knowledge management, the company should implement document management system. Making use of such business, information system and information technology strategies would help the company stay competitive in the market in the future. CONCLUSION

Roswell :: essays research papers

For fifty years the unexplained air craft wreckage found outside Roswell, New Mexico, has been in the center of on-going speculation about alien life forms and US Government and Military cover-ups. It is my personal belief that extraterrestrial bodies are present in this Universe and have landed on earth. There is more evidence pointing to the fact that there are aliens present in the universe as proved in this essay. Retired military officials will admit to there being extraterrestrials being present on earth. An excellent example of this is what happened in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. When the US Government and Military first found the wreckage of an unidentified aircraft they issued a press release stating that they had come into possession of an Unidentified Flying Object. The present US Government have passed the Roswell incident off as a closed case - their investigations declared the incident to be nothing more than a crashed weather balloon from the top secret Project Mogul and the alien bodies merely to be crash test dummies. This essay will argue the point that there is other life in the Universe and that the crash landing at Roswell in 1947, was an alien space craft and not a weather balloon. Leading up to the 'Roswell Incident' UFOs were spotted all over New Mexico and the mid-western coast line. On July 1 of 1947, an Unidentified Flying Object appeared on the radar screens of surrounding airforce bases. People also saw these objects in the skies that night and the next. On July 4 - Independence Day - radar screens showed an object pulsate then explode. Some archaeologists in the area were watching the sky and saw the aerial display as did a large number of the people living in the town. The archaeologists set out the next morning to look for the wreckage they saw fall to ground after the explosion. They reached the crash site about 10am and found wreckage scattered over a site three quarters of a mile long and two to three hundred feet wide. The archaeology team alerted authorities then peered into the rubble to find the bodies of five aliens (the number of aliens is debatable), four of them already dead but one still alive with a severe wound to the thigh. The witnesses are sure they saw aliens in the space ship, not crash dummies, and the wreckage was too advanced to be human technology. A number of witnesses who saw the crash site before the US Government intervened were interviewed and all gave comprehensive descriptions of the aliens and their flying craft.

Gender Representation Essay

How stereotypical are the representations of Gender in my chosen texts? My chosen texts are ‘The Inbetweeners’ , ‘X Factor’ and ‘BBC News’. All three texts represent gender in different ways yet I wouldnt say that any of them truly represent both genders in stereotypical ways. In ‘The Inbetweeners’ the main characters are portrayed in a very stereotypical way at first glance, they are boystrous and objectify women in the crude way in which they speak about them. Yet when you look deeper into their characters you realise that they are not typical at all. The females in the show are typical in a sense that they are pretty, well dressed and are purely there for the â€Å"male gaze.† It is this male gaze that ultimately makes them more powerful than the males in the series as they have the power to either sleep with, or not sleep with the males which takes all control away from the men which is not a typical trait. When you think of a typical male in tv they are strong, handsome and in control, this is not always evident in ‘The Inbetweeners’ which supports the masculinity in crisis theory which states that males are no longer the dominant sex in modern society. Women may be objectified still but they use their sex appeal to there advantage and get their own way leaving the males powerless. You do how ever have the very typical character of Jays dad which is a hyperbolic example of a male as he passes gas, swears and acts in a completely innaproriate way for the comedic value. The ‘X Factor’ has a very contrasting representation of gender. In one way the male characters are very stereotypical as they have the power to say yes or no to the acts as judges. Males are stereotypically known for being in a position of power so this is a typical representation. Yet you have Dermot O’leary who is very masculine in his appearance yet is very caring and sympathetic for the contestants. This is not typical as males arent usually shown to have a caring side or emotions as that is left for the women. This again supports the theory of masculinity in crisis. The Female Judges do not have a very typical representation. They are in a position of authority and power and to an extent in the new series do have more power than the male judges as they are more forceful and get their point across better. This is not typically the way women are represented fitting into the theory of Masculinity in crisis. The BBC news is very much like the ‘X Factor’. When the males are the anchors they are in a position of power and knowledge which is a typical representation. They appear to the nation as a pillar of knowledge and the public give them a vast amount of respect which is typical of the representation of men. When the women are anchors they too are looked upon as a pillar of knowledge and are given the same respect which does not fit into the typical representation of a female.

Effects of Viagra on Women and Female Sexuality

Effects of Viagra on Women and Female Sexuality When women go through menopause, the hormonal changes they experience often lead to a drop in libido and less interest in sex. Its nature taking its course - just another phase in the female life cycle. Its the way were built and programmed, biologically speaking. So what do we do about Viagra and the other ED (erectile dysfunction) drugs that are now commonplace and marketed directly to men in TV commercials and magazine ads? Its an important question to ponder because as every woman knows, it takes two to tango. Viagras impact on mens sex lives also impacts womens sex lives. Meika Loe has pondered this very question in her book, The Rise of Viagra: How the Little Blue Pill Changed Sex in America. And the answers shes uncovered are disturbing. Loe, who is Assistant Professor of Sociology Anthropology and Womens Studies at Colgate University, has also written extensively about sex and senior women. Viagra is marketed to aging men whose female counterparts are going through their own sexual crisis: menopause. These women want less sex but their partners now want more. Isnt this counter-intuitive? Doesnt this turn the bedroom into a battlefield at a time when women are already vulnerable (e.g., empty nest syndrome, feeling less attractive as we age, physical changes due to menopause including hair loss and weight gain, etc.) I recently visited my OB/GYN, and upon hearing about this research, she volunteered that many of her women patients have complained that Viagra has not helped their sex lives. The introduction of the pill has made sexuality, among other things, intercourse-focused and thus less satisfying. We hear this kind of thing over and over. My analysis of syndicated advice columns after Viagras debut in 1998 revealed many negative responses among women. Women writing to Dear Abby, for example, were either no longer interested in sex (and thus Viagra created new unwelcome pressure to be sexually active again), or fearing their husbands were having affairs in the context of their newfound sexual potency, and/or experiencing sometimes painful physiological effects of reigniting their sex lives later in life. It seems that Viagra raised quite a few questions for married women about marital obligation, for example. Then again, there were other letters that reflected excitement about husbands feeling healthy and confident after a period of impotence, so the response to Viagra in the population is quite complex. It would have been nice to see an explosion of people communicating about sexuality after Viagras release, but in our pill-for-everything culture, we tend to let the pill do the work and forget that it may not be an end-all be-all. Viagra tended to just exacerbate or throw light on already existing problems in relationships. It should be telling that at this point, almost 10 years after Viagras debut, only 50% of men who received prescriptions for Viagra end up refilling their prescriptions. Its not simply about a man being able to have pleasurable sex. Its also about power and dominance, virility despite aging. Its a way for men to deny that they are past their sexual peak. What are the long-term implications for a society that has Viagra in its drug arsenal? Viagra was the harbinger of things to come in the form of the pharmacology of aging and sexuality (sexual medicine is in expansion mode post-Viagra). All of this is due to a combination of, among other things, changing demographics (e.g. aging population), direct to consumer advertising/consumer-based medicine (Viagra being one of the first drugs to be advertised directly to the consumer) and pharmaceutical expansion. It is important to see that Viagras popularity fits in a particular cultural moment in our history, and there will be/have been plenty of other products to follow (including medications) that emphasize the holy triumvirate: youth, vitality, and performance. In short, as a sociologist, I see Viagra as a cultural product and thus a window onto our culture. It helps us see where we are when it comes to sexuality (and our ambivalence), gender (masculinity and sexual performance packaged together), medicine (quick-fix and lifestyle enhancement emphasis more than ever), and aging (we’re uncomfortable with it but do we all want to be 18 again?). Pfizer has helped to reinforce these traditional and not-so-traditional ideals with Viagra and it has been fascinating to see how successful they have been here and around the world with this youth, vitality, and performance-based message. Again, now that the initial curiosity factor has disappeared, it is unclear how successful sexual dysfunction medication really is. Viagra has spurred several like products – Cialis and Levitra. But the refill rate on all three is low. Viagra is certainly sociologically significant as it has highlighted many social problems in the way we do health and gender and sexuality in our society. Is Viagra Use Common Within the General Population? How does this affect behavior or alter men and womens sexual intimacy? It is difficult to find demographic information about who uses Viagra, but in internet chat rooms, doctors offices, pharmacies, etc. you find men of all ages interested in discussing the drug. We spoke with young men who had purchased Viagra out of insecurity- a just in case situation where they felt they had to live up to some social standard their first time and had purchased the pills (or borrowed them) to have some assurance of adequate performance. We also spoke with men in their 80s who felt like it gave them life again. Meika Loe, author of The Rise of Viagra: How the Little Blue Pill Changed Sex in America, acknowledges that Viagra and other ED (erectile dysfunction) drugs create additional pressure in the already complex sex lives of men and women. She also noted how it underscores the sexual ambivalence present in our society- our obsession and disgust with sex. Viagra use has a dark side. John Jamelske, the 67-year-old man who held a number of young women captive as sexual slaves in an underground bunker, took Viagra. Two toxicologists, Harold Milman and S.B. Arnold, have stated in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy that the drug has been suggested as a contributing factor in 22 cases involving aggression, 13 involving rape, and 6 involving murder. Clearly, Viagra is linked to violence against women. In the course of my research I found that Pfizer had consulted with quite a few experts about possible litigation down the line regarding Viagra. A pill for sexual potency can be a dangerous thing in a culture that is highly ambivalent about sexuality- both obsessed and disgusted with it at the same time. This sexual ambivalence is what we have inherited from the Puritans. It is one reason sexuality itself is so emotionally charged and controversial in this country (we see this in regards to sex education, advertising, reproductive politics, etc.). In the U.S. we seem to spend just as much time and effort on censoring sexuality as we do encouraging it, which makes for a very confused populace! We see this confusion in our bedrooms and in the society at large, and when Viagra is added to the mix it can highlight the issues we have with sexuality as a society. Speaking of sexual ambivalence... were a culture thats afraid to talk about sex with our children. So how is it that Viagra and ED drug commercials run during primetime and no one bats an eye? At least one Pfizer TV ad was pulled off the air (the one where the man gets devil horns after taking Viagra) but you’re right- it’s everywhere. Or it was for many years. Viagra racecars. Viagra ads during the Superbowl- and Janet Jackson got flack for showing a breast when during the commercial breaks, ads discussing penises and erections, and beer ads promoting sexuality like crazy were considered appropriate! Viagra was even posted over home base when Pfizer was the primary sponsor of pro baseball. Now we see Levitra and Cialis advertised just as often. It goes back to that Puritan ethic. We’re obsessed with sex and also offended by it- it’s a fine line. An African American woman’s breast crossed the line for some people. Sexuality in the context of medical dysfunction (complete with scientific imprimatuer and legitimacy) seems to pass. When we look at the way men and women use pharmaceutical interventions, men focus on performance (Viagra) and women focus on appearance (Botox). Or is this a gendered generalization? Sociologists would say that these are the values/characteristics we teach each sex to value most. Men are about what they DO, women are about how they LOOK. We reinforce this constantly in our society (just look at ads – men are generally depicted as active, women as body parts, or still lives, or close-ups). So it follows that our drug use maintains these gendered distinctions. What would you like to stress to women of every age about Viagra and womens sexuality? Living in the pharmaceutical era it sometimes seems easiest and most expedient to turn to medication to enhance our lives or fix our problems. However, we can’t forget to attend to ourselves, our relationships, and our lives. Many men found that while Viagra may have helped them physiologically (although for many it didn’t work or came with a host of scary side-effects), it was no solution to general sexual or life satisfaction. In some cases it actually exacerbated existing issues in peoples’ relationships or sense of self. Men and women are wonderfully complex and diverse creatures when it comes to sexuality AND in general. Simple solutions can end up oversimplifying- and doing us a disservice in the process.

effects of 2000 elections. essays

effects of 2000 elections. essays The Election that Turned on the Lightbulb in America The election process has finally ended, and out from the dust, a new president comes forward. Like an old Western movie, the battle between two foes has prompted a new method of handling the town's affairs. As a result of the election, the country will benefit enormously from the mistakes it had uncovered over the past month or so. We have found a new faith in our judicial system. As well as a new found respect for the slogan, "every vote counts." In addition, the media has been forced to change their approach on reporting the election. Thus, the country can only strive from overcoming adversity and gaining new knowledge. The judicial system emerged to be a fair and powerful force during the final days of the election fiasco. First, it gave a detailed lesson on the process of judicial review and constitutional laws, that in effect, gave the American people a sense of fairness and truth. The exchange of court battles from circuit courts, to appeal courts, to state supreme courts, to US Supreme Court, seemed to bring no end to the conflict in the state of Florida. Finally, with the constitution on their side, the Supreme Court of the United States made a decision that gave Americans a sigh of relief. It gave the right to decide the election in the hand of the people, and more precisely, to the secretary of state of Florida. The judicial system became the median between political parties that were at warfare. At times, the decisions made by the courts favored both George Bush and Al Gore. The election confirmed, our judicial branch was fair and not influenced by political belief. Consequently, the courts came out of this election as a father figure that is not bias nor weak. The voting process was affected heavily by the two thousand elections. Countless problems with ancient voting ballots and mac ...

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